Departed
by HalfwayFlawless
Summary: She'd implored him stay in New Greenwich. She'd witnessed the downward spiral start and had been trying to reverse its course ever since. She knew what would happen if he left the upscale time zone. But no amount of time on her arm could stop. Pre-movie


A/N: I couldn't not write something for this movie, ya know? Even if it is just a drabble. This is Pre-movie. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own In Time.

"I'm leaving New Greenwich."

She turns to look at him, but his eyes don't leave the foam-bordered ocean in front of them. His eyes are blue as ever, but the color around them has been altered to a darker shade. Stubble has appeared along his jaw and his clothing has been abused with countless creases that he could obviously care less about.

She isn't surprised. Just sad that she can't do anything to bring him up from his rock-bottom state. She witnessed the spiral start and has been trying to reverse its course ever since.

But from the fact that he – poetic, philosophic Henry- could no longer find beauty in the breath-taking view of the water, she could tell he had already departed. The numbers on his arm still glowed their digital green, but they didn't pump any life into the shell of a man in front of her.

Without her asking, he added. "To Dayton."

She crosses her arms and leans against the cement rail of the balcony. "Business?"

He shakes his head, staring straight ahead, hands in pockets.

By now she should be used to coaxing answers out of him, but she isn't. "Well, you don't go to the ghetto for vacation."

He doesn't respond. She sighs in frustration and uncrosses her arms. "Henry, don't do this."

"Don't do what, Sylvia? Leave?" His tone is stoic, a stark contrast to her passionate one.

"No, think like this!" she brings her finger tips up to her temples, while struggling to keep her voice low. "You've had too much free time to box yourself into this mindset! It's-"

"Yeah. That's what this is," he says, holding up his left arm, "Free time. Time I don't deserve."

"What are your talking about? It's not your fault you've got centuries and they've got hours." she says, throwing her arm out to gesture to the other time zones.

"And what does that change, huh? What does it change?" It's his turn to exercise his vocal cords.

She shakes her head. "Not a lot. But who can really change anything?"

"Not me." he says bitterly, turning his face to the ocean; looking at it, but not seeing it. "I thought you were on my side."

"I am." she says, finally able to bring the volume down. "I know the system is unfair. The time on our hands isn't completely hard-earned." she takes a breath. "But I need you to stay in New Greenwich."

She goes to stand in front of him, blocking his view of the glittering water. She's disappointed when his eyes are unresponsive.

"What about me, Henry? No one else thinks like this. You're gonna leave me to be all alone in this?"

"You're stronger than me." he says. Not as a compliment or an encouragement, but as a fact.

"Yeah, 'cause I have someone who believes in what I think. If you go…" she trails off as he finally meets her eyes.

"Please, Henry." she says. The whisper is a quivering sound mixed in with the whimsical soundtrack of the thundering ocean.

"I've made up my mind." he says, almost apologetically. Almost.

Moisture collects at the bottom of her eyes. "Let me change it."

He silently shakes his head and presses his lips together. He starts to walk away, but she catches his sleeve.

"Don't you dare walk away from me." she says.

"Sylvia, please." He's calm as ever.

"No. No, you are not the one pleading here, I am." She reaches on her toes to get in his face. "Henry. Don't. Do. This."

He slowly and carefully uses his thumbs to wipe away the tears that have just barely made their way past her eyelashes. It makes no difference; tears of betrayal are hard to stop. He takes her right hand in both of his soft and gentle ones. When she realizes what he's doing, she pushes them away.

"No, no," she whispers. "You'll need it t-to…" The tears have robbed her of coherent sentences.

Instead of placing his hands back on hers, he places them on her shoulders and places a chaste kiss on her lips.

When she opens her eyes, he's walking away again.

As her father would say, it's natural selection. And only the strong survive.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Please, please review! Thanks for reading!


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